Sunday, June 6, 2010

Is The Sorcer's Apprentice Behind the Crack Down on Hollywood Characters?

Knowing that several Disney movies will open and have premieres during this summer, Including Toy Story 3 next week, which they are building the party for at the High school behind the El Capitan, it makes sense that one of the top 5 Entertainment companies in the world is behind the crackdown of the characters. The Walt Disney Company has the money to fund it. Furthermore, they hate having people infringe on their copyrights! I know this first hand because I worked for Disney in their Legal Dept years ago when I did clerical work. They went after anyone worldwide who used their characters, logos or other property without having a license agreement. Lately besides having an influx of new characters, there has also been a substantial addition of Disney Characters on Hollywood Blvd.If my deductive reasoning is true. Sorry to say but the Hollywood Characters/Street Performers are f$cked. Disney bought Marvel Comics for 4 billion. Disney owns ABC, and the El Capitan. I think they now own large part of Times Square. The following was quoted from the Denver Business Journal 1997...

" But there are creative dynamics at work in Times Square that give a glimpse into the future. Some thoughts:

• Times Square property owners are creating a city within a city. They are hiring their own police, their own sanitation crews and "outsourcing" essential services to produce a higher level of public safety and skirt union rules. This is a wave of the future that seems destined to wash over Denver, particularly if more of the downtown area becomes a viable entertainment center.

• America's urban centers are getting "malled." The core of Times Square's "new" retail is as old as the Cherry Creek shopping center -- minus the department stores. Record mega-centers, the Walt Disney Store, Warner Brothers, Niketown, McDonald's and movies by AMC are the big drivers. The malling of downtown districts is driven by consumer demand but one wonders how far the demand can stretch.

• Urban centers can be renewed but they must adapt continuously to change. In Times Square, they are looking to the turn of the century to put on a massive show that will use huge television screens to celebrate the new millennium as it is rung in around the world. The show will attract billions of viewers and reap megabucks. It seems to me that downtown Denver is adapting well to a new environment, but it still could use a big idea or two."

Read more: Disney makes Times Square safe for Mickey - Denver Business Journal" - May 02, 1997 by Denver Business Journal Editor Henry DubroffIt seems more than likely that, Hollywood Blvd will fall under the same control as other urban areas under the foot and control of Walt Disney.